David Brooks eaten alive by pot smokers

I heard on the radio this morning that as of today, Coloradoans can line up to buy recreational marijuana at certain stores, like Seven-11-or-6-to-4. Some mainstream media stalwarts are now lining up to condemn anyone that might actually do that.

David Brooks admits trying marijuana, and even inhaling, but says he turned on, tuned in and grew up because he gave a bad class report while high, and because one of his friends turned into a stoner. Joe Scarborough says he never tried it because stoned people just looked dumb. Ruth Marcus admits she once smoked pot, and that she will probably smoke some if she goes to Colorado, but still thinks it should be illegal.

They are getting their deserved share of abuse.

I’m very anti-smoking. I only smoked a cigarette once when I was 13. I’ve never smoked marijuana, though I did inhale a fair amount of secondhand smoke while watching campus movies at college. My mother just died of lung cancer, so I have no plans to take up any sort of smoking now.

Speaking of those campus movies, they showed Cocteau’s La Belle et La Bête, which I found mesmerizing. Years later I rented it to show a girlfriend, and it was far less than I had recalled. I’ve always wondered if my experience was enhanced by the second hand cannabis.

I had a roommate a long time ago who worked every day, and got high every evening. We got along well, and I thought he was a good guy and all, but the image of him just sitting on his bed and doing nothing always stuck with me. I wanted to do things, and I was worried that pot would make me lethargic. Various bloggers have assured me that marijuana enhances their creativity, etc., but I haven’t been willing to risk legal consequences to find out.

I’m probably the last one to evaluate the relative merits of marijuana. I suppose that like alcohol, it can be used safely in moderation – unless you are the type of person who gets addicted to drugs.